McGraw-Hill announced a “pay-for-performance” model
McGraw-Hill announced an agreement to establish a “pay-for-performance” model in which McGraw-Hill will receive variable compensation for those WGU (Western Governors University) students who use MHE technology and services for a particular course and pass.
This is unheard of in the copyright/proprietary business of supplying learning materials to students. McGraw-Hill Education will provide e-books and access to industry-leading adaptive learning tools including McGraw-Hill LearnSmart to Western Governors University’s (WGU) online courses. Under this new pricing structure, the university will pay a significantly discounted flat fee for McGraw-Hill’s course materials. In addition, WGU will pay McGraw-Hill a premium for each student who uses the materials and passes the course with a B grade of better.
The word to use here is “responsibility” both the University, and McGraw-Hill intend to be responsible when students don’t succeed in the course. Students gain access to premium educational materials while keeping the costs low. Improving student performance and lowering costs is what the University and McGraw-Hill were striving for. The students are required to obtain knowledge and skills and pass, if they don’t McGraw-Hill doesn’t get the premium payment.
Western Governors University has drawn attention in its innovative, competency-based approach to learning, which offers affordable, high quality education. Tuition at the private, nonprofit university is about $6,000 per 12-month year and has only increased by $200 in the past 6 years.
WGU is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and nationally accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council. They offer more than 50 degree programs in business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing.
With this business model in place now we sit back and watch other Universities and copyright/proprietary businesses to see if they also put something similar in place. Our Universities needed a facelift, and this model just may be the ticket to what they needed to bring responsible teaching to the students.
But let’s not forget that students in grades k-12 also need a curriculum that gets them ready for College. Without it students won’t succeed. You can just teach, or you can teach and inspire them to learn. You can inspire only if students have the proper curriculum, and a good teacher. Some of today’s schools fail in one area or both. In today’s educational world when you fail, you are losing big time. The school fails, and the teacher, the student fails, then the parent, and lastly the community. Money lost and most importantly a mind is lost. A failure in education creates a ripple effect that embarks on hurting a community. Which never should of happen in the first place. Everything but not anything needs to be tried to see if it will help education. Not everything will help. As long as the education community understands not to think “overnight success”. They have a good chance in their pursuit of fixing education in their community.
Kudos goes out to McGraw-Hill and to Western Governors University. Thank you!
